LANSING ARTIFACTS
The Lancer flag is on loan from the Navy Historical Center. During the last years of DER service it was flown upon return to Pearl Harbor from Radar Picket Barrier patrols. (The Paul Revere flag reflected "Early Warning", as the squadron was noted for.)
The Aloha flag was flown when we left Pearl Harbor for Bremerton, upon arrival in Bremerton, and going to and returning from the final drydocking in lake Union at Seattle.
The ships bell is on loan from the Naval Historical Center. It was retrieved from the steeple of a church in Illinois in order to join the Associations memorabilia collection. In the late 1970's, many ship's bells were loaned to various churches by the Curator of the Naval Historical Center.
The ships wheel is apparently not the original as rumor has it that the original wheel disappeared one night while Lansing was along side the tender at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor in 1963. Anyone who has first hand knowledge of the location of the original wheel can fess up now as the statute of limitations has expired. The ships wheel is on loan from the Naval Historical Center.
The USS LANSING identified the ship from the life lines on the bow, 01 deck, Quarter deck and other locations. This item on loan from the Naval Historical Center.
An envelope mailed from the ship on the Last Day of Postal Service for DER 388, May 5, 1965.
Builder's plaque. On loan from the Naval Historical Center.
From Left to Right, the plaques are USS Lansing DER 388 (loaned by Bruce TeSelle, Bruce was the "longest aboard" plankowner in the history of the Lansing (all 3), he was aboard a total 1777 days ), CortRon5 (Donated by Carroll Hayden, Carroll left the Lansing and went into ComCortRon 5 Staff. Part of his responsibility was to paint the ship, squadron and flotilla plaques), DesFlot 5 (Donated by Caroll Hayden), CortRon 7 (Donated by E. W. Ostlund. LCDR Ostlund is presently the only former skipper who attends reunions (when he's not square dancing around the country), USS Lansing DER 388 (Donated by Carroll Hayden).
The DER Lansing was in Escort Squadron Seven from commissioning until March 1960, at which time the Pearl Harbor DER's became part of Escort Squadron Five and Destroyer Flotilla Five.
To date, I have been unable to discover whether there were any such plaques from the Lansing's life as a DE and WDE. Lansing was part of Escort Division 45 during WWII
The ships barometers are on loan from the Naval Historical Center. It is interesting that one of the barometers still reflects accurate barometric pressure